7.141: Was Paul the real founder of Christianity?

Examine Paul’s influence on Christianity, theology, community, and the gospel with guest Matt Skinner.

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Join the Enter the Bible podcast with hosts Katie Langston and Kathryn Schifferdecker as they sit down with Luther Seminary Professor of New Testament Matthew L. Skinner to tackle the question: Was Paul the real founder of Christianity?

Explore how Paul’s writings shaped the early church, his focus on the cross and resurrection, and his revolutionary views on community, gender, and the gospel. Discover the cosmic scope of his theology and how Jesus profoundly influenced his mission. This conversation will challenge your perspective and deepen your understanding of Paul’s role in Christianity.

Original question submitted:

“How can we reconcile the differences between Jesus’ teachings and Paul’s theology, considering that Paul often focuses on different aspects of Jesus’ message?”

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Matthew L. Skinner

Matthew L. Skinner is the Asher O. and Carrie Nasby Professor of New Testament at Luther Seminary. He has been a member of the faculty there since 2002.

His books include Acts: An Interpretation Bible Commentary, Acts: Catching up with the Spirit, Intrusive God, Disruptive Gospel: Encountering the Divine in the Book of Acts, Matthew: The Gospel of Promised Blessings, Voices of Advent: The Bible’s Insights for a Season of Hope, and A Companion to the New Testament (3 volumes).

Motivated by an interest in helping people explore the Bible’s connections to faith and life, he has contributed to a number of commentaries, encyclopedias, and other print and online resources to assist pastors, teachers, and students in their study of Christian scripture. Every week he co-hosts the Sermon Brainwave podcast produced by the Working Preacher website.

Ordained as a teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church (USA), he teaches frequently in congregations and at conferences.

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Kathryn M. Schifferdecker

Kathryn M Schifferdecker came to Luther Seminary as an assistant professor of Old Testament in 2006. Ordained in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in 2001, Schifferdecker was associate pastor for five years at Trinity Lutheran Church, Arkdale, Wisc., before coming to Luther. Schifferdecker is a frequent contributor to workingpreacher.org, Word & World and the author of Out of the Whirlwind: Creation Theology in the Book of Job (Harvard University Press, 2008). She is currently writing a commentary on the book of Esther.

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Katie Langston

Katie Langston is a doubter by nature and a believer by grace. She grew up Mormon in a small Utah town and still isn't sure she fits in anywhere sophisticated enough to have a Target. She's the author of Sealed: An Unexpected Journey into the Heart of Grace, an acclaimed spiritual memoir about her conversion to orthodox Christianity. Katie is Pastor of Mission and Outreach at New Promise Lutheran Church in St. George, Utah. From 2020-2025, she was the director of digital strategy for Luther Seminary's innovation team, where she oversaw digital projects aimed at cultivating vibrant Christian spirituality in a post-modern, post-Christian cultural context.

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